I can’t completely remember how I stumbled across this book, but it was one that I’d had in queue for a while before I finally picked it up. I initially thought that the book would explain from a scientific perspective what occurs within the brains of those who have autism that causes them to act in certain ways (for example, the sensitivity to physical contact). I hadn't done my research though. The book, which is very short, is a question and answer format discussion of a non-verbal 13 year old Japanese boy with severe autism, whereby he attempts to answer question that people often seem to wonder about him, such as why he is driven to certain behaviors and responses. His insight is certainly unique and having read this, I can say that I do have a slightly better understanding of why autistic people are driven to certain behaviors and responses.

Naoki Higashida

However, the book is clearly aimed at those with daily interactions with children who have autism, and as I do not, the contents were perhaps not as pertinent to my daily life. Also, its message, which is repeated every few pages, is basically “be patient with us,” which I suppose is a fine mantra, yet it felt extremely redundant as I was reading.

I would also note, although this may not be the most politically correct comment, that the style of the writing, the philosophy, and the boy’s responses are culturally very Asian and thus might feel a little foreign to US readers. To be honest, I really didn’t enjoy this book that much (I don’t think it’s really aimed at the general public) and plowed through it in about an hour one afternoon. But, if you have frequent interactions with someone who has severe autism, the insight provided might prove quite valuable.